Bruins face Blackhawks for first time since Cup loss

CHICAGO--As if the Bruins needed it, the painful reminder was staring them right in the face.

The B' practiced today at Johnny's Icehouse, the Blackhawks' practice facility, and the sign commemorating the Hawks' 2013 Stanley Cup championship was emblazoned right behind one of the nets.

"You know it took a while (to get over it)," said Patrice Bergeron, who literally risked life and limb in pusuit of the Cup. "You’re so close to the goal that you’ve set for yourself but also you look back and sometimes the what-if question comes to your mind, right? So it’s something that’s hard, still right now it hurts just to see the 2013 on the wall right there, you know? But it’s in the past. You’ve got to move on and tomorrow is a big challenge for us. They’re a great team and we’re excited for it."

The Hawks are again one of the league's top teams and they are fresh off a big win over anaheim on Friday night. The B's, meanwhile, played one of their better games of late in their 4-2 victoory in Dallas on Thursday and they are hoping to string a few of those efforts together.

"It's a measuring stick for us to see how well we're playing as a team right now," said coach Claude Julien. "I put the focus a lot on us more than who we play, but you can't deny the fact that you're playing a really good team and they're coming off a really good win against Anaheim. We know how tough it's going to be. Those are the challenges you like. Those are the ones you have to look forward to is playing those kinds of games because that's what players get motivated for when you play good teams you want to be at your best."

The nationally televised matinee has the unusual start time of 11:30 a,m. here in the Central time zone.

“It's almost like a practice day," said Milan Lucic. "We practice a lot at 11:30 and you try to get yourself ready for a practice. It's almost that same preparation, but obviously with a lot more on the line. It's about getting a good sleep tonight, getting a good meal, getting hydrated and doing the all that stuff that you do on a game day the night before. It's going to be important for an 11:30 game tomorrow.”